Julius smiled a little at the completely opposite situation from back in the day.
Cecil, who was watching his smile from the side, noticed it and waved her hands vigorously, as if satisfied. She wore a black suit and a black dress, as if they had been embroidered in the air. With a proud grin, she showed off the completed pair of clothes.
“If you want to go to a restaurant, you need to tighten your clothes, don’t you?”
“…Why are we suddenly talking about going to a restaurant?”
“Have you forgotten? We promised to go together a long time ago! If you have to do something like this, then do it properly. Even if you don’t know everything, you should know at least that much.”
He hadn’t forgotten. She had always talked about wanting to rent the entire Carridge Restaurant. Despite her words, Julius gently squeezed her hand, thinking of how frugally Cecil had lived her whole life.
“…If it was the Carridge Restaurant, I burned it down a year ago.”
“Oh, that?” Cecil grinned. “I heard they opened a new one.”
“…?”
“Look, there’s even an invitation.” She flicked her hand, and a black bird flew in from somewhere, dropping something from its beak in front of Julius.
When he picked it up and inspected it closely, he saw that it was indeed an invitation to the Carridge Restaurant. His name was written in small letters, along with a note indicating that it admitted only one guest. Feeling a strange enchantment, he flipped the invitation over.
[Look at this stupid Julius.
There was no way such a large store would go bankrupt. I hope you try to think sometimes.
—Your enemy, Krail.]
Along with the mocking message from Krail, a small map was sketched, pointing toward a large commercial city a little ways from the capital. Julius frowned at the sight.
“…It would take a month to get there by horse-drawn carriage. This isn’t exactly the right time for such a long trip…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Cecil placed her slender fingers over his mouth. A confident smile spread across her face.
“Hey, honey, do you really think I walked all the way here?”
“…Did you come by carriage?”
“Nope! I walked.”
“…?”
“Hehehe, don’t worry. It only takes a blink of an eye to get there. Let’s go have dinner.”
As Cecil danced ahead, her skirt fluttering, Julius could only watch with growing confusion. How could anyone walk such a long distance?
The answer revealed itself the following day.
***
“…How dare you use this method? Do you think you’ll be forgiven for doing something like this under the Lord’s heaven?”
“It was done after a good agreement with all involved. Any problems?”
Julius was speechless at Cecil’s words, stunned by how easily she dismissed his concerns. The reason she had been able to walk from the capital to Kente Village in one go now stood clear before him.
A massive crack stretched behind him, dark energy twisting and distorting the space itself, prying it open.
“Is this…?” Julius murmured.
Could high-ranking devils truly wield such ridiculous power? It seemed almost godlike. The blasphemous thought crept into his mind, leaving him both impressed and unsettled.
No heretic he had encountered before had ever used mana like this.
“What are you waiting for? Come on! I want to get there before sunset!”
The woman with red hair shouted from a distance, her voice brimming with excitement. Julius noticed her hair shimmer as it shifted color—she seemed like a child, full of curiosity and wonder.
“…How far can you go with this ability?”
“You can do just about anything you can think of,” Cecil said with a mischievous grin.
“…Then… can you turn back time?”
“Nope! And there’s no reason to, is there?”
“… ….”
“I’m here, so where do you keep trying to go? Stop overthinking and just escort me properly, okay?”
She stomped her foot in frustration before walking beside him, her pace slowing to match his. As she moved closer, Julius caught a faint whiff of her sweet, honey-like scent. For a moment, he allowed himself to forget that his wife was gone.
***
The streets buzzed with life—a fruit vendor loudly hawking his goods, a child running off with a traveler’s stolen wallet only to get caught and scolded, and a confused bard scratching his head as he tried to play his lute. A variety of people filled the town square.
Beyond the bustling square stood the Carridge Restaurant, its name displayed proudly. The restaurant looked even more elegant than Julius remembered from its days in the capital.
For reasons he could not explain, Julius felt a strange happiness welling inside him as he stared at the beautifully decorated building.
Why do I feel happy?
Cecil, her red hair shining in the sunlight, grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the entrance.
Although it was lunchtime, the restaurant seemed oddly quiet. Known for using only the finest ingredients and catering exclusively to high-ranking officials, the Carridge Restaurant’s selective policy hadn’t changed, even out here beyond the capital.
As they stepped inside, the manager emerged from behind the counter to greet them.
“No one is allowed inside without a reservation. May I confirm your booking?”
The manager’s voice was polite, but his gaze was sharp.
Cecil grinned and handed him the invitation. “Here’s the invitation! Mr. Krail got it under Julius’s name. Please check!”
She beamed, shouting playfully like a child, her voice echoing through the quiet restaurant.
Julius groaned and tried to stop her, but the damage was already done. The names “Krail Reynell” and “Julius Tapnel” spread like wildfire through the room.
The manager took the invitation, his face twisted in disbelief. “Krail Reynell… Julius Tapnell…”
The names on the invitation belonged to two of the most feared heretic inquisitors, known for their ability to take down entire legions on their own.
‘Oh, is this the day I die?’
The manager’s thoughts stopped there. Overcome with fear, he fainted.
Cecil burst into laughter at the sight of the manager collapsing like a broken doll. Meanwhile, the restaurant’s staff hurriedly gathered, beads of sweat forming on their brows as they stared at the two fearsome inquisitors in their midst.
Julius lowered his head in embarrassment, while Cecil, with the poise of a queen, held her head high.
Soon, Carridge himself arrived, his expression pale and pained. The restaurant owner stared at Julius, the man who had once burned down his entire establishment, and forced himself to smile with professional composure.
“Welcome… to the Carridge Restaurant,” he greeted stiffly.
With those words, Carridge turned on his heel and sprinted out of the restaurant, leaving Julius and Cecil standing there.
There was no way he could stay.
After all, he had no intention of witnessing a repeat of the first Carridge incident, where the restaurant—and several heretics along with it—had been reduced to ashes.
Sponsor Chapters at the Patreon Shop: Along with BuymeaCoffee where you can now make payments in your local currency.
The Shop section on Patreon can be used as a way to make a one-time-payment. I will be creating products in the Shop section with the title of the webnovels. It will only have an image as the product, but it will count as the payment for the Sponsored Chapters.
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